REVEALED: Exactly What Denzel Washington Howled at Photographer During Furious Red Carpet Bust-Up at Cannes Film Festival
Denzel Washington loses his cool with a photographer at the premiere of his latest movie at the Cannes Film Festival.
May 20 2025, Published 8:59 a.m. ET
Denzel Washington's rant at a photographer during the Cannes Film Festival overshadowed the premiere of his latest movie – and now RadarOnline.com can reveal exactly what he said.
The Hollywood actor, 70, shocked fans by lashing out at the snapper during a red carpet appearance on Monday.
Losing His Cool
Washington ranted at a snapper for touching him on the red carpet.
He was also seen pointing his finger in the face of the photographer during the heated exchange.
And now lipreader Jeremy Freeman has claimed the 'Malcolm X' star appears to have been set off by a photographer tapping him on the arm.
As Washington turns to the photographer he appears to shout: "Hey, one — one more time, stop.
"Let me tell you – stop, stop – never put your hands on me again," he appears to rant at the photographer, who had a bizarre grin plastered on his face throughout the exchange.
"I'm talking to you, stop, all right," he continued
Watch the Oscar-winning star confront the photographer.
Despite the intensity of his words, many of the photographers surrounding Washington – including the one he was yelling at – were smiling, suggesting that they may not have realized how upset he was.
However, the actor has a long history of tense interactions with photographers over the years.
Before calling out the photographer, Washington had been standing on the red carpet with his 'Highest 2 Lowest' co-star, the rapper-turned-actor A$AP Rocky, 36.
Despite his spat, Washington was in great spirits when he was later surprised with an honorary Palme d'Or award by director Spike Lee.
Washington was also honored by his close friend Spoke Lee at the festival.
Cannes changed some of its scheduling to accommodate Washington's trip, which came amid his lone off-day while performing Othello in New York.
Handing the award over to Washington, Spike said: "This is my brother, right here."
"This is a total surprise for me!" the actor replied.
Washington's row with a photographer comes seven months after he was filmed exploding at autograph hunters in New York City in October 2024.
The Oscar-winning actor snapped at fans as he arrived at the Museum of Modern Art for a film benefit honoring Samuel L. Jackson – with the tense exchange captured in a dramatic video.
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Washington has form for red carpet outbursts.
The Man on Fire star was seen arriving at the museum and posing with a fan — while autograph hunters called his name to the side.
A visibly annoyed Washington went to walk inside but then turned and addressed a fan in the crowd.
While the entire exchange cannot be deciphered, the actor was seen pointing his finger and heard saying: "I heard you. You talk about showing love... '...Respecting me,'" to which the fan said "we already do."
Washington retorted: "I said I'll see you when I get out, which part of that don't y'all understand?
"It's about showing love", before raising his voice and declaring "or not, or not! we can do it another way... or not, we can do it both ways!"
